So the end of the year is finally drawing to a close. Although Furman is great, I am definitely ready for a break. Nevertheless, despite being out of spring classes, I will still be present on the Furman campus throughout the summer. Thanks to the helpful faculty in the Campus Job office, I was able to obtain a position at the Digi Center in the library. Since I don’t live too far away from Furman, it should not be too long of a drive. Furthermore, the pay is more than what I would receive elsewhere ($7.75) and it is under the Federal Work Study program, allowing me to earn the full seven seventy-five per hour. Campus jobs here are definitely a plus.

In addition, I will be taking a summer course here at Furman. Despite the course being quite expensive, around three thousand dollars, I will be able to receive a 4 credit class in less than a month. So, even though I dread taking class over the summer, I will be able to still enjoy two months of summer vacation when I get done with it. As the summer draws to a close, I will be on campus for Resident Assistant training. It should definitely be fun, and you might even meet me on move-in day as I am assisting in helping students unpack their vehicles

Since this will most likely be my last journal entry, I would like to thank all those who have read my journals. I hope that they have helped you to somewhat get an idea of what to expect coming into Furman next year. Furman is definitely a great school and you really develop close relationships with the people on your hall and the faculty. This is home.

Starting this year, the first Friday in April will become Furman Engaged day. Furman students perform projects and later display them throughout the campus. Best of all, students get the day off from classes; however, they are still expected to participate in the Engaged program. This past Friday, I took part in a wide variety of opportunities that Furman Engaged offers to both its students and the community. First of all, I earned some money before the event by setting up easels and posters in the gymnasium and the Townes Science Center. The pay was pretty good, eight dollars and hour, and the workload was not too bad. In addition, I worked with four other people so we kind of hung out while performing the work. Working before the event was definitely as plus for me.

In my Freshman Seminar, Wal-Mart: Monster or Miracle, we constructed a poster for display at Furman Engaged dealing with our experiment that we conducted about Wal-Mart. The poster was set up in the gymnasium among numerous other posters. Other students, professors, and people from the community walked around and looked at the posters. In addition, they asked us questions as we displayed our posters. The time we spent displaying the posters was not too consuming though. For example, we were only required to stand by our poster for an hour. Furman Engaged is definitely worth it, especially if you have three classes on Friday like I do.

Furthermore, I volunteered for the VO2 max testing that the Department of Health and Exercise Science was conducting. VO2 is the maximum oxygen uptake during maximal exercise. During the testing, a mask was put on me and I was instructed to run on a treadmill. Slowly, the speed and elevation were increased until I could no longer run. The maximal level I got to was 8.5 miles and hour at six elevations. The result: a sixty VO2 max, not too bad. Overall, I highly enjoyed Furman Engaged and I hope the program continues.

Ok so spring break is officially over and I have already started my countdown towards the end of the year. Yes I love Furman; however, things have gotten a little dull on the hall and I think its time for a new start. Next year should definitely be an exciting experience as I will have a new roommate and I will of course be an RA on the hall. Although originally I thought that the housing lottery was a pain, I am not starting to believe that it is actually beneficial. The lottery allows you to keep certain close friends through allowing you to choose your roommates and suitemates while also placing you on halls with new unfamiliar students. Diversification is key; things start to get dull after a while.

Another fun fact about Furman is that different intramurals are played each semester. For example, last semester we played traditional fall sports like football and soccer while this semester we are playing traditional spring sports like basketball and baseball. So far, we lost in the championship game in basketball but we won our first softball game. Hopefully, we will not lose in the championship game in softball.

All in all, I am pretty excited about returning to Furman next year. I am sure that all of you are also counting down the days to your arrival at Furman. Orientation may seem awkward, but it is just plain fun and remember: for the most part, you go through orientation only once, so enjoy it while you can. In addition, I am planning on taking a summer course at Furman. The course only takes a month and you get four credits; however, you must attend class 5 days a week for an extended duration. Even though it is rather expensive, it will give me a head start for next year. By the way, since some of you are making final decisions on whether to attend Furman or not, do not hesitate to comment my blogs if you have any questions about Furman and I will try to answer them to the best of my ability. Good luck!

Ok, so I am pretty excited to announce that I have been offered a position for Resident Assistant (RA) by the Housing and Life department. In order to be considered for the position I had to go through a formal employment process. For example, I had to file an application, resume, and went through an interview. In addition, I also had to attend two “college nights” which basically helped prospect RA’s solve some problems that could possibly arise on the halls next year. While this may seem like an exhausting prospect, there are three major advantages to becoming an RA: meeting new people, getting paid three thousand dollars a year, and receiving half off room and board. It is definitely a position of leadership and I do not expect it to be a walk in the park either.

Furthermore, a challenge already came up a few days after being chosen for the RA position. The prospect RA’s had to choose their roommate, which was not too much of a hassle; however, I also wished to choose my suitemates. Unfortunately, I had to gain approval from the Sigma Nu Fraternity in order to choose my suitemates since I am an RA on the Sigma Nu Hall. The Sigma Nu representative was very understanding and granted my request of suitemates. That’s one of the things I love about Furman: most of the people here are reasonable and very friendly.

In addition to being an RA, I am also involved in the Shucker Leadership Institute this semester. I must say that it is a pretty awesome program. I would say that the group is similar to a Beta Club in high school. For example, our current project is teaching elementary school children in small groups. Although I cannot comment on the teaching experience yet since it begins this Wednesday, I will be sure to reflect on it later. Well, keep in touch.

A typical Wednesday night, just chilling. Each Wednesday night, my hall has a tradition of playing dodge ball. Although it is cold, my hall is pretty hardcore. Anyway, tonight I am taking a time out from dodge ball and watching the Clemson game in my Frads’ room. It is pretty cool once you get close with the people on your hall, all games are times to get together and chill. During the Super bowl, I went to Jimmy’s room to watch the game on his big flat screen TV; however, Furman allows its students to use the Promethean boards off school hours. Therefore, lots of students had super bowl parties in the classrooms. In my opinion, that’s pretty cool.

In addition, I usually go to Einstein’s each night to get a late snack. The students get healthy choices like fruits and low fat yogurt as well as more tempting snacks like bagel pizza. So, if you are like me, you can get a healthy snack if you are just starving before you go to bed. Another popular attraction this semester is Waffle House. If Einstein’s just won’t hit the spot, several guys on my hall get together and we go out for a midnight meal. It’s a fairly popular place for Furman students. In fact, it is rare to find a spot to sit since the place is overflowing with students. Either way, there are always things to do if you get hungry at night.

As far as classes this semester, they are going okay so far. It is definitely hard getting used to different professors; however, they are always willing to help outside of class. For example, I have asked my Computer Science professor numerous times to help me with numerous homework problems and he had not yet hesitated. Anyway, those are just some updates. C ya!